Fallen Stars
by miniature otaku
Summary: When Lucy goes off to train after being kicked off her team, she gains two powerful allies. Her new team gains fame all over Fiore. When new enemies arise, will Lucy's team be able to prove them, and the guild, wrong by once again coming out on top?
1. Falling Star

**Chapter One: Lost Stars**

Lucy sat at her usual table trying to read a new book when Natsu approached her. "Hey Luce, wee uh... need to talk." He spoke sadly, averting his eyes as if he wished he were somewhere else. "We're worried about you. You don't seem to be able to handle yourself on the missions lately and we've decided that for your own safety...You're off the team. You can go off on your own for a while and rejoin the group when you get back."

He stood there silently waiting for my reply. In fact, the whole guild stood quiet. Waiting. She was incredibly frustrated. She knew she wasn't exactly the strongest but she didn't deserve to be kicked off Team Natsu for that did she? "It's about time someone said something..." a strange voice commented from inside the guild hall earning murmurs of agreement. _Wait..What? _She scanned the crowd and began to notice something in their eyes. Relief and pity. Now she understood. _They all think I'm weak. All of them.._ Even her close friends Cana, Mira, Levy , and Erza looked at her as if theyd been busted for keeping a secret. A secret everyone was in on but her.

In a sudden fit of rage, Lucy jumped up with such force, the table flipped and settled on its side. "Just wait!" She yelled loud enough for the whole guild, her _nakama_ to hear. "I'll come back stronger than ever and prove you all wrong. I'll make my own team and we'll become stronger than team Natsu. " She stormed over to the request board snatching the first one she saw and took it to the bar fir Mira to approve.

"Lucy are you sure about this? I mean this job looks-"

"I don't need you to underestimate me and I sure as hell don't need your pity!" Lucy spoke firmly before heading out the door.

In the back of the guild two intimidating members whispered angrily among themselves.

"It's about time she realized what those idiots thought of her." He said before finishing off his beer.

"Damn straight.. What do you say we join her? Ya know - help her train and join that new 'team' of hers?" They shared a meaningful look as they thought it over.

"Well she definitely has the potential to kick some ass. I'm in."

"Gihi! This is gonna be hella fun."

With that said, they got up and walked out of the guild following Lucy's scent to her apartment with an offer she couldn't refuse.

**Back at the Guild**

"My children are idiots." Makarov grumbled to himself before speaking up loud enough for the whole guild to hear. "Listen up brats! you don't realize how hard it is to connect with another world and its people. Lucy has ten of the twelve gold gate keys. The most anyone has had since their creation was six. You've underestimated her. Shes been a powerful ally to all of you in battle."

Erza spoke up from her seat at Team Natsu's table. "I can't allow people to receive credit for someone else's work. Lucy doesn't fight, her spirits do." She patronized him, speaking as if Master were a child.

"Don't be so stupid! It's her own strength that powers them. When a spirit is called from their realm theyre power takes a tremendous drop in magic power due to the switch. All magic they use in Earthland is supplied by Lucy. A spirit can only be as strong as its master."

"If that were true. why is Lucy unable to keep up with the rest of her team?" Mira asked unwilling to believe Master.

"Well maybe," he started , running low on patience. " Its because she hasn't trained at all since she joined the guild as a beginner. From day one she was thrown headfirst into battles and missions, not to mention that Erza has been taking the team on one S-Class job after another. Just wait for her return. She'll surprise you." The guild erupted in side chatter and Makarov made his way to the office annoyed by the ignorance of his children.

"Could it be true?" "Can she really be that strong?" The guild was abuzz over their celestial mage. All the while. Gray, Erza, and Natsu looked at each other in annoyance. Natsu rose from his seat and began to yell. "OI! Don't forget who Lucy's closest friends are! We know her better than anyone. We know what she's capable of. We did was best for the team."

"She was in over her head." Gray agreed. "She'll thank us once she realizes what her limits are." Erza agreed with a grunt and nod of her head.

Juvia spoke up as well. "If Gray-sama says it, it must be true. Juvia agrees.

"She has been rather tired lately. I suppose it is... for the best." Levy assured herself as well as the rest of the guild. In a rare show of defiance, Wendy defended Lucy from the harsh words of her guild mates.

"As her friends you of all people should see her potential." She said, shy as always.

Mira tried to convince her otherwise. "You may be to young to understand this right now, but sometimes people just can't handle-"

"NO!" The young mage shouted cutting her off, her cheeks flushed in anger. "You don't understand! Wen Iim healing Lucy I feel something. Something I've only felt when I was younger. When I was around Grandine."

"What the hell does that mean? What does she have to do with the dragons?" Natsu inquired listening eagerly.

"I don't know." Wendy replied. "All I can say is that she's powerful. More than we know."

**Lucy's Apartment**

She slammed the door behind her with enough force to rattle the walls. She held back furious tears, refusing to let them fall. _If I cry now that will only prove them right. _On the mat before her door Lucy discovered a small envelope. The note inside read:

_Dear Lucy,_

_Ive decided to continue working as a guard at the palace in Crocus. I've lost most of my confidence as a mage and quit Sabertooth. I've also decided to give you my keys: Libra, Pisces and Ophiuchus. Please take car of them._

Yukino

With a bittersweet smile, Lucy put the keys on her belt making a contract with Libra. Pisces and Ophiuchus, she decided, would have to wait until she left town, where there was enough space to summon them. She opened her closet and removed a small duffel bag and filled it with essentials. Food, money, soap, first aid materials, and her most durable and practical clothes. Her plan was to complete her mission, train near the town in a neighboring forest, and return once she had the strength she desired. She decided that now was as good a time as ever to finally read her job request.

**HELP! URGENT! WE NEED YOU!**

**Bandits have taken over out town. The men have all been sent to work like slaves and our women and children are suffering under the abuse of the invaders. We don't have much money but we'll pay you what we can find. Many have already died and we cant allow any more. **

**Location: Esver**

**Reward: Undetermined**

Lucy furrowed her brow in thought. Esver was notorious for being a poor mining town in the country side. _Taking a job in Esver leaves me plenty of space for training. _She reread the paper and frowned at the towns desperation and lack of money. "That's okay." She decided. "I'll just do it for free."

She realized that not accepting a reward equaled no money for rent. _It's worth it if it means helping them out._ With a sigh she called Virgo to hold her belongings in the Celestial World. _ Worst case scenario, I'll sleep at the guild until I can get back on my feet. It's not like I'll be out of money for long. _Lucy began to imagine all the jobs she'll be able to take when she returns. She left a short note for her landlady thanking her and apologizing for leaving on such short notice. Grabbing her luggage, she headed to the door ready to leave behind the old, weak Lucy. She swung open the door to find two large men blocking the way.

"Hey, Bunny Girl." " Sup Blondie?"

Lucy stepped away, wary of her guests. "Laxus? Gajeel? What are you here? Are you going to look down on me too?"

They frowned and shook their heads.

"Look Blondie you've got the wrong idea. We want to join your team." Laxus told her, straight to the point.

Lucy however was reluctant to accept them so easily. _After all_ , she thought, _weren't they in the guild when Natsu kicked me off the team? Didn't they witness it all? _"Why? So you can baby me and _protect_ me?" she spoke bitterly using air quotes. "In fact I bet the guild sent you. They probably don't want me out on my own. Your'e only here because you pity me and feel guilty about this morning."

Gajeel stepped forward, scowling viciously. "Listen up. I aint got time to be babyin anybody. No time for pityin either. We want to join your team because we think you have the potential to be a great mage. We can train together and become a legendary team. Just imagine it. The three of us - unstoppable."

Lucy thought it over.

_"_Okay." She consented, excited at having such strong companions. "I've got the perfect idea for a name too. Two dragons and a Celestial mage. We'll be just like the dragon constellation."

Laxus and Gajeel began to look unsure and apprehensive. "Well..." Laxus began.

Lucy grinned.

**"We'll be team Draco."**


	2. Esver

Chapter 2:Esver

"Draco eh?" Laxus mulled over the new name surprised to find that he liked it.

"It does sound kind of nice. I'm in. What's up with that mission you picked out?" Gajeel asked excited by the recent developments. Lucy quickly went over the job in Esver emphasizing that they wouldn't accept a reward. Their situation seemed desperate and whatever money they had would need to be put toward rebuilding. The boys nodded understandingly and asked her what the plan was.

"I wanted to leave immediately and head to Esver. I'd have to complete the mission first before finding a nearby forest to contract my new spirits and train. I don't know how long I plan to stay away…I hope you don't mind." Lucy said. She watched her teammates think it over in their heads seeming to approve.

"Okay." Laxus spoke up first. "Give us twenty minutes and we'll meet up with you at the train station." He finished his sentence with a scowl, already dreading the inevitable motion sickness. "Actually," Gajeel spoke up "Esver is only about five hours away and they don't have a train station. If we take the train we'd have to get off at Clover Town and walk three hours to get there. Why don't we just save some time and money and walk?"

Lucy thought it over carefully. _Walking to Esver would mean passing directly through the forest and over some hills in the countryside. I suppose it's a good way to get adjusted to being outdoors…_ "Okay sounds like a plan."

Twenty minutes later the trio left Lucy's apartment and started their journey. It was the peak of summer and temperatures were at an all time high. The trees in the forest provided little shade and the air was humid thanks to the downpour earlier that morning. Deep puddles of mud were all over the forest floor and mosquitoes were buzzing everywhere. As they went sloshing through mud, some began to question their choice of clothing.

Laxus had his usual tank top and pants which were now caked with mud. He slung his coat over his shoulder, not wanting to wear it, but also having nowhere to put it. Gajeel wore his studded tunic with its bizarre feather attachments and was grateful he wore his boots. Lucy, always seeming to dress inappropriately for the situation, came in a black crop top with sleeves. She wore tight black jeans to match accompanied by an inconvenient pair of flats. The color of her clothes was drawing heat and having her arms and legs covered added to her discomfort.

After five hours or so they finally reached the town of Esver. Known for their mines, the town was surrounded by mountains and mounds of coal. In the center lied the houses, small shack-like dwellings that were falling apart. Men were shoveling the coal into small carts that would be taken to the nearest cities and sold. Children and women were being escorted and under heavy watch of armed bandits. The women were carrying water and food to an out of place building on the outskirts of the town. It stood taller than all the other buildings and had guards at all its entrances. There was a large banner above the main entrance with a hawk and the caption: Black Hawk. Lucy assumed this was the name of the guild the bandits were in.

Still hidden by bushes, Team Draco decided to sit and discuss a plan of action. "I think we need to start by getting the kids and chicks away from those guards. If we attack right away they might be used as hostages." Gajeel offered.

Laxus seemed to quickly come up with an idea. "WE can use Sagittarius to take out all the guards including the ones in front of that guild hall. Once we make sure everyone is hidden here in the forest, we'll charge into that building. Gajeel and I will take out the guards inside and you," He pointed to Lucy, "Will start fighting the bandits."

Gajeel seemed to find a hidden meaning in Laxus' plan and cracked a wide smile. Lucy on the other hand paled considerably. "I can't fight all of them on my own!" She protested.

"You won't have to." Laxus answered calmly.

"But what about-"

"His plan is focused on giving you the opportunity to kick ass. Hiding the civilians will make sure you don't have to worry about them. Basically, we'll be clearing you a path so that you can focus on the mission. Your training officially begins now." Lucy was blown away by Gajeel's words. _They were looking out for me? _Lucy was suddenly grateful that these two wanted to work with her. _Who would've guessed that the brooding and grumpy Gajeel and the powerful and sexy Laxus could be so understanding and caring at times like this?_

Noticing that she'd gone silent, the boys began to worry until she spoke up. "Thank you." They were shocked. "For what?" Gajeel grumbled.

"For thinking about me and believing that I have what it takes to do this." Laxus broke into his signature smirk and Gajeel flushed, not expecting her gratitude. "Let's get started!" Lucy called out Sagittarius and told him to hide on one of the many mounds of coal and, on her signal, shoot down the enemy sniper style.

"I'm going to the mines. I'll take out the guards inside and hide the workers." Gajeel offered before swiftly jogging away. " Oi, Lucy? Are you okay?" Laxus noticed that Lucy's face was distorted with worry.

"What if I mess up? I man a whole team of bandits by myself? What if Natsu and Mira were right? What if I can't handle this?" Lucy was nervous and feeling tons of pressure. "I mean I know I'm not weak but I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this." All of a sudden, Laxus draped his muscular arm around her shoulder and began to reassure her.

"Don't worry. We believe in you. Look at that guy over there." Laxus pointed his finger at one guard in particular who was tending to a group of kids. Two little boys were tussling on the ground shouting insults while a little girl, about six or so, cried her heart out. The man in charge stood there frazzled, completely useless, and seemingly unable to decide what to do.

"If you ask me," Laxus stared again. "These guys seem pretty incompetent. They shouldn't be putting up too much of a fight. Besides, we'll be right behind you if you need us." He removed his heavy arm and Lucy found herself missing its warmth. _Focus Lucy, Focus!_ With newfound determination, Lucy raised her hand and formed a fist with the thumb and index finger hanging out, the Fairy Tail sign. Sagittarius nodded and an array of arrows was sent towards the guards, each one hitting its mark with amazing accuracy. Shouts and screams of frightened civilians rang out.

"Open the gate of the Ram! Aries!" Lucy gave the spirit instructions she could begin apologizing. "Calm them down so they don't draw attention!" She gestured toward the citizens of Esver. Aries nodded and headed off. _Deep breaths._ Lucy reminded herself before sprinting off to the guild hall.

**In the Mines**

"Roar of the Iron Dragon!" Gajeel shouted as scraps of metal flew from his mouth defeating the last of the guards. The working men had already sent to the forest. _Somethin aint right here... _He picked up the closest mage by his shirt collar, his shoulder having caught his attention. It had the guild mark, the hawk, as he'd seen on their guild hall, but three long claw marks ran across it. Turning his hand into iron, he slapped the mage awake.

"Get the hell away from me!" The guard screamed terrified by the man who'd wiped them out so quickly. "Shut the hell up!" Gajeel commanded. "What's up with that guild mark?" The man got silent, seeming to maintain loyalty to his guild. Gajeel walked to the closest wall of the mine and slammed the guard against it, holding him off the ground. "Okay, Okay! The hawk is from our guild, Black Hawk! The claws are from our boss. Dark Talons! They monopolize an alliance of dark guilds and protect us as long as we give 'em Jewels! They'll never let you get away with this! They make major profits from the coal this town produces!" He continued to rant but Gajeel had had enough. _So much for loyalty…_He dropped the idiot and replied.

"Like hell I'm gonna worry about some guild who supports losers like you." With that, the Dragon Slayer left the mines in time to see Lucy kick down the doors of the guild hall and rush in. He smirked, clearly proud of the spirit mage and followed her slowly, trusting her to handle it on her own.


	3. Claws

**Soo.. I kinda suck at writing action scenes. Let me know if anyone is interested in being a Beta for me**

* * *

Chapter 3: Claws

After kicking down the doors, Lucy entered the building, immediately coming across an enemy. He knelt down and placed an open palm on the ground. "Earthen Army! Rise!" He shouted his spell and Lucy heard a deep rumbling noise come from behind her. She turned around and through the open doors, saw three creatures forming from the dirt. They grew bigger and bigger until they were as tall as the doorway.

I can't let this get in my way! Laxus and Gajeel are counting on me! "

Sorry but I have more important things to take care of. Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

"Punishment Princess?" Virgo asked.

"Ummm… sure! As punishment you uh, have to, defeat this mage and earthen army!" Lucy gave virgo her commands before rushing past the mage (who was busy ogling the spirit) and down the hallway searching for the rest of the guild members. Determined to do her best, Lucy turned down hallway after hallway, keys in hand; ready to call out a spirit in case she saw someone.

She was surprised to find that the guild hall seemed to be empty. _Maybe most of the guild members were working as guards. _Turning through yet another empty hall, Lucy was excited to see a door with light pouring out of it. "Finally some action!" She muttered under her breath, trying not to alert anybody.

She dropped to her knees and crawled stealthily over to the door, opening it just enough for her to look inside. She saw about twenty people, _all men_, she noted who were sitting around drinking and gambling. One man in particular, she suspected to be the guild master, was large and burly. She figured he'd be her biggest challenge.

She removed the Fleuve d'étoiles from her belt while also removing Taurus' key. "Open! Gate of the Bull! Taurus!" She whispered, trying to keep the element of surprise. Sensing this, Taurus arrived quietly, kneeling beside her and whispered a nearly silent, "Moooo?"

"I want you to storm in there and take out as many as you can." Lucy commanded feeling confident.

Taurus smirked and replied "Yes Miss Lucy." Before standing up straight and barging through the door. Lucy followed him and defended him using her Fleuve d'étoiles to take out mages left and right. "Moooooo!" Taurus bellowed, swinging his axe at the men before him. Men fell to the floor, quickly defeated by the bull. Lucy felt confident as her whip hooked around the ankle of an attacker, sending him crashing to the ground.

Seemingly out of nowhere, an arrow flew from across the room, piercing Taurus in the back, immediately sending the spirit back through his gate. Lucy angrily swung around to get a look at the attacker. Only three mages remained. One short man brandishing a sword, a taller one with an arrow already in the bow waiting to be shot, and the Master. More muscular than she had though he was, he simply cracked his knuckles trying to intimidate her.

"So what kind of mage are you?" Lucy asked nodding her head at the Master. She positioned her hand on her hip. To anyone else it would seem as though she were standing casually waiting for an answer, but her hand was hovering between Loke's and Capricorn's keys. She assumed him to specialize in hand to hand combat given his stature and the way he was rubbing his hands. _If he only fights with hand to hand, Loke. If he fights with any magical properties, Capricorn._

He master chuckled confidently. "They call me , The Master with Lead Fists." One punch from me would send you flyin out of this room." _Capricorn it is._

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you." Lucy countered, enjoying the look of surprise that came over Mr. Lead Fist's face. "Open! Gate of the goat! Capricorn!" Sensing a threat, the moment Lucy opened her mouth, the archer shot an arrow at her. Just in time, Capricorn came through the gate, catching the arrow mid air and snapped it in half, scaring the mage who shot it.

He then charged at the master ant the two eschanged blows. Depsite his reputation, the guild master found himself on the losing end of a very one sided battle. Focused on her spirits battle, Lucy almost didn't notice the swordsman snaking up to her. At the very last minute she saw a glint of light above her head and jumped backward in time to dodge the sword.

Lucy sent her whip flying towards the man in front of her, and smirked as it caught the sword, sending it across the room. More arrows were headed her way,but she was able to dodge them all easily. She wrapped the Fleuve d'étoiles around the shorter man's waist and yanked him towards her. "Lucy Kick!" She screamed while her heel conncted with his jaw. Another badly aimed arrow missed its target and instead landed in the shoulder of his comrade. "You might wanna work on your aim." She told him, completely serious as the shorter man dropped to the floor.

One last time she propelled the Fleuve d'étoiles towards the remaining mage, watching as it wrapped itself around his neck. He dropped his weapon and began to claw desperately at his neck. Using all of her strength she pulled her arm back as hard as she could, choking him. At last, he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Lucy approached him, unwrapping her whip and noticed that the room had gone silent. Looking around, she saw the room was empty, save for the bodies strewn across the floor. Capricorn had disappeared after defeating the master, leaving her on her own.

"Pretty badass." She heard a voice come from behind her. She turned quickly, whip at the ready, but breathed a sigh of relief realizing who it was.

"Hey Laxus." She grinned ear to ear excitedly as Laxus approached her. He walked over, stepping around the bodies that lay there and scanning the room approvingly.

"You did good here." He said with a knowing smile. Lucy put the Fleuve d'étoiles back on her belt and her hands on her hip heading towards Laxus. When she came close, she grabbed his arm and pulled him along. "Honestly, they really weren't much of a challenge. I guess you were right from the start."

Laxus chuckled and his deep voice caused a blush to appear on her face. She realeased his arm and they continued to walk through the building together, Laxus grinning after seeing her crimson ears.

Gajeel

After taking his time, Gajeel finally came to the wide open door of the guild hall, accidentally stepping on a fallen mage. "Watch your damn step!" He spat bitterly as Gajeel ignored him and continued walking. "Better be careful from now on! The Talons'll snatch ya!." Gajeel stopped and faced the man.

"Why would they waste any time on such a hopeless guild?" Gajeel looked assured as always but on the inside he was starting to worry. _Who is Dark Talons? _The downed man laughed.

"Because we make em rich!" He yelled proudly. "We told the boss we wanted to take Esver, promising to give them forty percent of the profits we make of this town's coal. In exchange they let us borrow sone of their strongest mages to have them fight for us and take over. Now thanks to you-" he stopped to study Gajeels shoulder, his guild mark. "Fairy Tail, they'll be missing a few, say, hundreds of thousands of jewels? They'll get ya for it! They'll avenge us!"

The Iron Dragon Slayer stomped toward him and planted his foot in the man's gut, effectively silencing him. "The hell is up with your talkative ass guild?" he grumbled and heard footsteps approaching. Without turning around he spoke loudly enough for them to hear. "Looks like you didn't need us after all Bunny Girl."

"Guess so!" she replied cheerfully before walking out the door. "Let's go get those guys out of the forest. After today, I'm even more pumped to start my training!" With that she left the boys behind and jogged towards the forest. Once she was out of earshot, Laxus addressed Gajeel.

"What the hell was that guy? Who is 'Talons'?"

Gajeel explained in detail the disloyal confessions of both mages emphasizing the strange claw marks over the guild's hawk symbol, and making sure to mention their role as head of an alliance. Laxus listened intently while Gajeel continued.

"We shouldn't tell Lucy. She'd be too worried about them to focus on training. Just make sure you keep an eye out." They sat in silence, both thinking the same thing. _If those guys were telling the truth, we may have made an entire alliance our enemy._Refusing to admit he was worried, Laxus started to follow Lucy into the forest, Gajeel trailing behind him.

One Month Later

After only a month, Lucy was already feeling the effects of her training. She would wake up before the boys everymorning and call out Capricoren. They'd meditate together and after an hour or two, when her magic was significantly lower, she would stop and cook breakfast. After eating, everyone ran ten laps around a forest trail stopping in between to do twenty reps of crunches, push ups, and whoever finished their laps last, had to do five extra as penalty. At first, Lucy had always done fifteen laps but lately she was catching up.

After that, they'd stop for lunch and break off to do individual training. Laxus tried to improve accuracy, and intensify his lighning bolts to a near fatal level. Gajeel wanted to strengthen his metal so even freaks of nature like Erza wouldn't be able to dent it. Already having a drain on her magic, Loke would open his own gate and the two would spar. Occasionally , she would call Crux to teach her new spells. She finally mastered Urano Metria and could hold her own in a fight.

She contracted her new spirits Pisces immediately, and was free to call them whenever she wanted. She only contracted Ophiuchus about a week ago; calling the thirteenth zodiac spirit toequired a huge amount of magic power. Lucy had also learned that celestial magic and light magic were closely related, allowing her to learn a wider range of spells. The more she practiced with her spirits, the easier it was to learn them.

After a long day of training, she'd head back to the camp for dinner. They had developed a system for meals. Lucy, being the first awake, made breakfast. Gajeel cooked lunch and Laxus, the surprisingly talented chef would make an amazing dinner. They ate together by the campfire watching the sunset and seeing the stars come out. After eating they sat down together to joke around and talk. One night a thought came to Lucy that immediately made her feel ashamed of herself.

"Ummm… Gajeel?"

"Hm?" he mumbled, turning to look at her curiously.

"Where's Pantherlily?" Hearing this, Laxus rubbed his head wondering why he hadn't noticed earlier. Gajeel looked down sadly, seeming to have the same expression as he had before Edolas. The 'I Want an Exceed Face'. He sighed deeply before leaning back onto his elbows. "He got a girlfriend."

Lucy's eyes widened while Laxus' narrowed. "Don't tell me it's Charle?" Laxus asked quietly and Lucy's jaw dropped. "But she can't! What about Happy?"

Gajeel laughed bitterly. "Have you seen any other female exceeds hangin around Magnolia lately? Apparently they started right after the GMG and have kept it secret the whole time. Lily just told me about two weeks before we left. Now it makes sense why he hadn't been spendin any time with me."

They sat in tense silence for a while before Gajeel stood up and walked to his tent, the one farthest from the campfire. "Poor Gajeel." Noted Lucy, sad the two were drifiting apart.

"No," corrected Laxs, "Poor Happy. All this time he's been giving Charle fish and flowers and giving Pantherlily kiwis. Thosetwo would always sit and talk about everything, including Charle. This whole time Happy thinks he's been making romantic progress when he doesn't even have a chance."

Lucy noted that he sounded somewhat bitter. "Laxus, are you okay?" she asked timidly, genuinely worried about him.

"Don't worry. It just reminded me of some guys in the guild. See, a few months ago some incredibly sexy guy took interest in an equally sexy girl. They spoke almost every day and after a few months he finally decided to ask her out for dinner. That same day, she announced that she had a boyfriend. Some asshole named Taro." Lucy's eyes widened. " The man, extremely devastated, stopped hanging around her, completely avoiding her for weeks. The couple broke up, Taro had been c heating, and after a week or two, the extremely handsome man decided to talk to her again."

"I thought he was extremely _sexy_?" Lucy corrected, a blush staining her cheeks.

Laxus smirked seductively and continued. "One day, the extremely and handsomely sexy man started talking to her again, but flirted a lot more that time. But that same day," Laxus stared into her eyes, taking note of the hopeful way she looked at him. "The just-as-sexy-woman left to go on a mission, no body knowing when she would return. And well, I followed her obviously." Lucy stopped breathing for a moment, watching as Laxus stood up and walked towards his tent, located directly behind her.

"Laxus?" Lucy wanted desperately to continue talking, she wanted to know more.

On his way past her, he set his hand on her head "Goodnight Lucy.", he said quietly before retiring to his tent. Suddenly feeling lonely, Lucy summoned Plue, hugging him tightly.

"So that explains why he was being so flirty. I didn't really think about it until I broke up with Taro. He was so secretive but I didn't think too much about it until I saw a woman walking out of his apartment half dressed in the early hours of the morning. No wonder Laxus steered clear of me. He probably thought I was some king of emotional wreck."

"Pu~punn!" Plue responded, seeming to agree with her.

Lucy stood up and bagan the walk to her tent, evenly spaced in between Gajeel and Laxus. Her cheeks painted red, she whispered to Plue, hoping the Dragon Slayers wouldn't hear.

"I would be lying if I said the idea of him being interested in me wasn't exciting."

In the Woods

Nobody noticed the mand dressed in black lingering in the bushes behind the campsite. He had been taking detailed notes of the conversation. The instructions from his boss were to note anything that couuld be used against them. So far the list included:

Iron Dragon Slayer misses exceed( whatever that is)

Lightning Dragon Slayer is interested in Lucy

Lucy remembers me

He crossed the last one out, knowing the boss would punish him for wasting time. Quietly ans stealthily, he ran all the way back to his guild hall, ignoring its occupants and heading straight to his master's office. The only room on the third floor. He opened the door and stepped quickly to the right, dodging the wine bottle that came hurdling towards his head. "Who the hell is it?" the Master asked. He'd been in a perpetually angry mood ever since they stopped recieving income from Esver.

The spy entered the room and identified himself. "I'm Taro. I have your information." He handed over the notes and stood silently waiting to be dismissed. Avoiding the face of his master (he hated to be stared at) Taro kept his eyes glued to the wall behind his extravagant throne like chair. It was pitch black, save for the three jagged lines that appeared to be skin torn apart by claws.

"I suppose I can do something with this. We'll teach Fairy Tail a lesson. Get the hell out of my office." He dismissed Taro who bowed resspectfully before exiting. All alone the guild master sighed.

"I'll teach them not to mess with Dark Talons."


End file.
